Snowman
by BigMamaKat
Summary: (Soon to be) a 2-piece one shot inspired by Snowman from Sia's new Christmas album. Bucky/OC Rated M, of course. ;)


Tara shivered against the chill of the hall, eying the city through the slightly adjar window along the adjacent wall. No matter what could be said for the mans ego Stark definitely knew how to build a tower. The view was magnificent and Tara found herself captivated. Among the regular lights of a city in full Saturday night swing twinkled the Christmas lights adorning windows and railings of homes and offices alike. Tara smiled to herself as snow began to wisp passed the window, only adding to the effect.

Having been so absorbed by the view beyond the window pane she didn't notice the company in the room until her eyes caught his reflection in the glass. The shock was evident in her eyes despite all her best efforts, although she did give herself credit for not letting loose an embarrassing squeak of alarm. The smirk on her visitors face showed just how obviously startled she was and how enthralled she had been by the sights.

Tara sheepishly glanced over and sent the man a small smile. He slowly wandered closer to her, accepting her silent invitation.

"The crowd getting to you, too?" She asked, tone full of warmth and free from judgement.

"I'm still not used to... all this. The... pomp, the cheer, the... you know..." He pursed his lips and tucked a strand of long dark hair behind his ear, his metallic hand dully reflecting the Christmas lights that hung above and around them.

"Yeah, I get it." His eyes snapped up to meet hers and she felt herself flush. "I mean, obviously I could never really get it until I've been through what you've - What I mean is... This is in no way a comparison but I was bullied mercilessly straight up to my early twenties. Got to the point I could never trust a friend. Being with these people and being so accepted, it can still be overwhelming and surreal." Tara let out a breath and took a sip of her drink, attempting to look out the window once more and pretend the man beside her wasn't scrambling her brain with his mere presence.

"It's a funny world when the ones you can trust the most are a bunch of spies and secret agents." She hummed in agreement and they both fell into a lull, both staring out the window as the wind began to whip the snow about in front of them. The music from Stark's party drifted down the hall towards them echoing off the walls, the silence almost deafening as the dance music drifted off and the next song was slow to begin.

Her breath became uneasy as she began a silent battle with herself, something that didn't go unnoticed by her present company. Nor did the fact that they were now alone in the hall. His smirk fell, his brows furrowing slightly.

"If you're uncomfortable I can go find somewhere else to take a breather." His tone, low and cold, touched by sorrow, surprised Tara into action. Her hand reached out and grabbed his arm as he moved to turn away, stopping him in his tracks. Her grip didn't shy away from his metal prosthetic.

"Doyouwant-" She took a breath and downed the rest of her champagne, forcing calm into her words. "James, do you want to dance with me?"

Bucky nodded before he knew he had answered, his own surprise catching him offguard in the automatic reaction of stepping towards her. As the music began to swell down the hall once more he set both of their glasses aside and took her in his arms.

No amount of secret agent training could have prepared Tara to bluff her way through the reaction this caused. Her heart hammered in her chest as Bucky's solid metallic arm circled her waist, holding her firm to him. She had to mentally chastised herself when he held her left hand in his and the sensation of the touch, near electric, nearly made her pant.

In that simple way they began to sway, Tara finding herself unable to bring herself to look him in the eye.

 _Don't cry snowman, don't fear the sun. Who'll carry me without legs to run, honey?_

 _Don't cry snowman, don't shed a tear. Who'll hear my secrets if you don't have ears, baby?_

"I thought you were afraid of me. Nervous, at the very least." She could feel his words vibrate between them, hardly believing the feeling to be real. She'd been biting her tongue for the last year, always kind but never totally gushing over her attraction. Now she'd actually done it and she hadn't been laughed at or pushed away. It was as she'd mentioned earlier, when you've been bullied for so long normal adult interactions seem so... abnormal and unexpected.

 _I want you to know that I'm never leavin'_

 _cause I'm Mrs Snow, til death we'll be freezin', yeah_

 _You are my home, my home for all season so_

 _Come on lets go_

When she hadn't answered he took her chin in hand and tilted her head up til her eyes met his. And there they stuck. His warm brown eyes drew her in and held her tight, helpless as she was to fight it. Whoever said you can't really see emotion or intent in someones eyes clearly had never looked into Bucky's. Maybe it was something about his eyes, maybe the fact that he, as well, hadn't once looked away. Whatever it was Tara drew a new boldness and lay it all out on the table.

"Never afraid. Nervous. But only because for all my special elite training I'm still that woman that gets far too flustered around someone she finds so incredibly attractive."

Tara's admission hung in the air, heavy and enticing. Bucky knew he had been attractive way back when... before super soldiers and amputations and cryogenic freezing with a side of brain scrambling. And part of him still knew it, he'd been in Stark tower a year and in that time he'd noticed plenty of women scoping him out. But they were all too afraid of the former Winter Soldier to even speak more than a greeting in passing. And here he had in his arms a beautiful, kind woman that he'd noticed for quite a while but kept his distance. One that had not only genuinely spoken to him on several occasions but just admitted attraction to his face. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face and how his arm drew her closer to him in a firm embrace.

"I'd say you're doing pretty good, doll." Tara's hand had found itself resting on Bucky's chest, releshing in the warmth that seemed to radiate through his tuxedo jacket. Eyes still locked, swaying softly to the song as it continued in the background, Tara drew an assertion from the way Bucky tucked her hair behind her ear and gently played with her dangling bejeweled earrings between his finger tips.

"You can't tell I'm worried about making a fool of myself?" Bucky silently shook his head. "You can't tell my heart is beating a mile a minute?" Again, another silent shake. Tara slid her hand up to the back of his neck and, standing on tip toe, drew his lips down to meet hers. The kiss was soft and brisk but left them both flushed. After a silent moment Tara took his hand in hers and placed is on her chest, where she could feel her heart beating like mad against her rib cage. "How about now..." she asked again.

"Not quite." Came the hoarse reply before Bucky reclaimed her lips in a kiss that burned her to the core. He pulled away only for a moment with a snarky "there we go" as his hand stayed put, tracing lines in her skin. The song melted in the background and the couple continued on in their blissful bubble.

 _I'll love you forever where we'll have some fun_

 _Yes, lets hit the North Pole and live happily_

 _Please don't cry no tears now, It's Christmas baby_

 _My snowman & me_


End file.
